Between 2012-2016, Paul Reder, President of PR Entertainment and Bass Camp Festival, allegedly exploited his position to groom and abuse an anonymous plaintiff.
A lawsuit against Paul Reder alleges that the president of PR Entertainment and Bass Camp Festival engaged in sex trafficking of a minor and exploited the individual financially into their adulthood during incidents that occurred between 2012 and 2016. The defendants also include various individuals and entities who were aware, or should have been aware, of Reder’s behavior.
According to a complaint filed in a California district court, Reder met the unnamed boy through a dating app and continued to interact with him after discovering he was 17 years old. Reder allegedly transported the plaintiff from Soda Springs, California to his residence in Lake Tahoe, Nevada — where the age of consent is 16 — and forcibly engaged in oral sex with him after administering cannabis and alcohol.
The lawsuit claims that this initiated a pattern in which Reder groomed the individual, utilizing financial incentives to coerce him into sexual acts. At the Horizon Casino, where Reder allegedly employed the plaintiff, staff members purportedly instructed him to avoid talking to others or remaining in one location for too long, noting that “it was obvious that Plaintiff was too young to be in a casino unattended.”
Reder reportedly demanded sexual favors in exchange for cash and transportation, promising to purchase the plaintiff a used car but never following through. At one instance, he allegedly leveraged a “bondage debt” by telling a Casino Hotel employee that the plaintiff owed him $10,000. The complaint further alleges that Reder pressured the plaintiff to drop out of high school and turned him against his parents.
Beginning in 2013, the plaintiff worked at the box office for events like Bass Camp Festival, Safe In Sound, and Winter Whiteout, according to the lawsuit. Reder allegedly provided him with 21+ wristbands and alcohol during these events.
The plaintiff’s employment was reportedly terminated when Horizon Casino closed in spring 2014 to undergo rebranding as Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe. The lawsuit claims that in the subsequent months, they moved between different living situations, alternating between Reder’s home and an RV that Reder parked outside a storage facility to save money.
The complaint states that the plaintiff was directed to keep the lights off at night to avoid police encounters. He allegedly had to plug the RV into the facility, causing a circuit breaker to trip every time he attempted to use the heater, which also prevented him from using the microwave or stove.
In January 2015, the plaintiff allegedly secured a job as a bank teller with Wells Fargo through a family friend of Reder named Morgan. The complaint argues that Morgan was aware of the sexual nature of their relationship but felt pressured to comply as Reder provided concert tickets, backstage passes, hotel accommodations, and other benefits. The plaintiff reportedly experienced PTSD symptoms due to Reder’s treatment, impacting his job performance and future employment opportunities.
The lawsuit claims that the plaintiff began selling box office tickets to Reder’s events, keeping the money in an effort to gain financial independence. Reder allegedly discovered this, wrongfully terminated the plaintiff’s employment, and forced him to move out, resulting in two months of homelessness.
Throughout their relationship, the plaintiff reportedly suffered from strep throat, sinus infections, and bladder infections leading to multiple hospitalizations due to their sexual activities. The complaint states that this included instances where the plaintiff was catheterized to prevent kidney failure as he was unable to urinate. It also claims he continues to suffer from PTSD, BPD, depression, and anxiety as a result of his mistreatment.
Numerous individuals, including Reder’s colleagues such as Matthew Stegemiller and Nick Rogers, as well as Reder’s niece, Carolyn Weiner, are named as defendants in the lawsuit for enabling his behavior to varying extents. For instance, Weiner allegedly remarked to the plaintiff, “You’re not gonna get my uncle in trouble are you? Another boy tried to get him in trouble and we had to take care of him.”
The complaint, filed on August 9 by Derek Smith Law Group, cites the Trafficking Victims’ Protection Act and the Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act in support of its claims. It also alleges sexual battery, sexual assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligent infliction of emotional distress by the defendants. Damages are sought in an amount to be determined in future proceedings.
“We were recently made aware of an alleged incident from over a decade ago by a former employee,” stated a spokesperson for Bass Camp Festival in an email to EDM Identity. “While we will not comment on active litigation, we can say that we are preparing a full legal defense to vindicate all defendants on the merits.”
